


Past the Mile Mark

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Car Racing, Alternate Universe - Future, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Na Jaemin is Whipped, donghyuck is a genius, speed racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26161615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In a future of advanced technology and a neon city, Jaemin is one of the top notch speed racers in his area. Gathering attention is not only his skills, but his fanbase that goes by the name BlueEyedDemon who takes photos of his racers without fail. A slip of the tongue during an insta live brings them together, but there is more to the story behind the camera.Mark has a secret that might ruin Jaemin forever.
Relationships: Mark Lee/Na Jaemin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	Past the Mile Mark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [haechieprint](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haechieprint/gifts).



> Early note, sorry for grammar mistakes or incorrect info. I tried my best with this one, truly. Enjoy reading!

_ The incident was reported to occur due to an unknown device implanted in the road. The police are still trying to trace back where the device came from as it does not seem to be a contraption made from any known organizations. There was a report of street racing in that perimeter which has made it harder for local authorities to- _

“Nana, are you still watching the news or want to spare me some attention?”

Jaemin scoffed, rolling his eyes before looking over at his close friend and partner in crime, Lee Donghyuck. The boy had dragged himself out from under the car he had claimed was damaged somewhere down there, his face smeared with grease and a wrench in his hand. Under the dim lights of their hideout, his violet hair seemed all the more apparent.

“Does it look good?” he questioned which earned him a toothy grin. He didn’t need an answer after that. Jaemin had to admit he scored gold for having Donghyuck as his friend. Not only was he a technology whiz, but he seemed to always know what the problem was when it came to his automobiles. In the world of street racing, that was fairly important.

Over the years technology had stopped blooming, or rather, it was restricted from reaching its full potential. There were no flying cars or whatever he had thought would happen a decade ago. Instead, AI has made its way into the economy, giving it the boost it needed to develop the internet and Cyberspace in such a way that it was easily accessed. However, they drew the line when it came to the development of androids.

“You’d think people would’ve learned to stop messing with advanced AI after the incident” Donghyuck stated as the TV news blared throughout the garage. “Can’t believe there’s still road robberies”

Jaemin shrugged nonchalantly, flopping onto a worm out sofa. “You know how people are. Who knows what they could do if they could actually create androids. Must’ve taken the video game too seriously”

“Don’t we all?”

Jaemin reached out to grab the laptop that was charging on the glass table, flipping it open and instantly going to Instagram. He didn’t have to type much as the app instantly directed him to the account he wanted to see.

“He got it again!” Jaemin cheered, scrolling through the feed that was filled with the photos of him speeding down the street during their last race on his Lamborghini Aventador SV. The photos had been taken in high definition despite how fast Jaemin had driven that day. It always amazed him that he could ever have a fan with such photogenic capabilities.

“The BlueEyedDemon updated again?” Donghyuck asked, walking around the sofa before peering over his shoulder. “Man, did he catch that beauty”

“Which beauty?” Jaemin teased which earned him a punch on the shoulder. “Fine, fine. I bow down to the magnificence of the automobile upgraded by the hand of Lee Donghyuck”

“You better” was the reply before he flopped down onto the spare chair they had. “People would  _ kill  _ to have BlueEyedDemon as their photographer. He literally runs your fanbase at this point. Fudging merchandise under your name, haha”

Jaemin raked his fingers through his newly dyed ash blue hair.

Honestly, he didn’t plan on making a career out of street racing at first, and it wouldn’t bring much unless you were good enough to bring the pot high enough to make up the average income. He was an automobile fanatic like most of the spectators there until he actually tried to be behind the wheel.

Sure he wasn’t as epic as he was now, but no one could overlook the potential he had during his first run, add that with Donghyuck agreeing to be his official mechanic, dealing with all the dirty stuff. Their deal included not becoming a part of any kind of racer friend groups and to keep within themselves. That was fine. He didn’t feel like throwing gang signs at random guys on the street either.

It was usually those packs creating a ruckus big enough to attract the cops. If it weren’t for Donghyuck, he would’ve gotten caught more times that he could count, especially during the big races. No one likes a party pooper, especially if that person is too much of a wimp to call the cops on them during a fight.

Jaemin could fight if he wanted too, obviously.

“He knew which route you were going to take” Donghyuck observed, nodding appreciatively. “Smarter than most racers out there. Not as smart as me, but getting there”

Jaemin scrolled through the pictures and indeed, he could identify the backgrounds of the tracks he had used despite them shifting away from the original course. Those paths were his way of play, something he prided himself.

Okay, fine…it was mainly Donghyuck navigating the paths through his earpiece, but Donghyuck had long stated he didn’t want to be in the spotlight. So instead, Jaemin had been known as the Watch Tower by the other racers, someone who was not only a demon behind the wheel but also insanely strategic.

“Anyway, they got the pot close enough to yours so you’ll be racing this weekend” Donghyuck sighed, pushing himself off the sofa. He threaded his fingers through his hair before inspecting the car once again. “Heard that they’re bringing the Japan automobiles into the track”

“You mean they’re letting the LUZT gang compete?” he corrected, laughing and instead opened a new tab to search Youtube. “They always bring in the beauties from Japan.”

“They got money but they don’t have the skill” came the reply, and Jaemin felt his chest swell with pride. Donghyuck glanced over his shoulder, hands in the pockets of his jacket. “My bet is on you, and the pot is hella high. Might be enough to last us a month, or a week at minimum”

He tossed the car keys to Jaemin, which was caught swiftly.

“I might be the brains, but you better watch the videos. Heard that walking credit cards are gonna be present. If I were you, I’d try to be a bit flashy on the road.”

“What if it ends up badly?”

“We’re 17, man. We’ll live.”

-

The race came quicker than before. As usual, they had their events in the mid late hours of the night until early morning. There was a higher possibility for cops to be slacking off their duties and it gave the racers a chance to show off their neon light decorations. Jaemin didn’t really know when that came into trend, but it looked pretty stupid in his opinion. Besides, Donghyucks’ paint job was far more eye-catching that glow in the dark attachments.

People walked around with glowing horns and holding these neon light sticks, bobbing their heads to the music. It was almost like a rave party, and Jaemin half expected fireworks to suddenly blast to the sky followed by cheering and demonic screeching. Jaemin tugged his mask up and made sure his hoodie covered all his hair. He didn’t need people recognizing him any time soon.

_ It’s an hour drive to the starting line.  _ Donghyuck's voice crackled in his earpiece. He could almost imagine him on the osfa back in the garage with a pack of chips in his hand, chugging down his fifth can of Redbull.  _ You better move. I think the LUZT are circling the road. Wanna stay or go? _

Jaemin looked over at the mess of people now actively participating in some sort of chant, hyping up the riders and shrieking like a banshee. They’d probably do donut drifting soon. Yeah, he was going out.

His car whirred to life, his light illuminating the dusty darkness of night. Almost instantly, eyes turned to him and they recognized the pattern on his car. There was a chorus of cheers as he drove himself out. He didn’t bother putting up a show, not trying to puff out smoke or cause mini fireworks from his engines or anything. He didn’t know if there were new things Donghyuck installed.

_ Yeah, they’re circling the perimeter. I contacted the crew through CB radio, and there are cops in the usual route. That’s why they changed the track. You checked it out this morning, didn’t you? _

“Affirmative. Kind of goes around the main buildings, so it’s more of a drift course. You checked out the patrol pattern?”

_ Yeah…yeah I did _

“Anything new?”

_ Won’t tell. Where’s the fun in that? _

Jaemin huffed, frowning at the response. As much as he loved Donghyuck being by his side, it was always a risk. For instance, he didn’t exactly enjoy it when Donghyuck had suddenly inflated his tires out of nowhere during a very rainy race, or when he decided to speed up at the last second and burned his fuse in the process.

There was a honk beside him and Jaemin looked over where two people were on a motorbike, the one at the back holding the person in front as if his life depended on it. It probably did. In their wrists were identical hot pink neon bracelets that symbolized that they were acquainted to the LUZT Crew.

“YO WASSUP MAN!” The one in front called out, waving wildly and almost losing control over his motorcycle. Jaemin shook his head. The dude was crazy.

“Get to the destination first. I don’t intend to be charged with murder before I get to race”

He floored the gas, reaching 180 and hearing the motorcycle duo catch up to him. He was sure Donghyuck could probably see him speeding and Jaemin prayed that he hadn’t substituted the normal for some fast burn serum that would run out too fast for his own good.

“Look who's here” he muttered under his breath as he parked his car among the many other racing cars, most of which were made in Japan as Donghyuck had stated. He could see the crew chatting among each other, wearing bracelets or having glow in the dark paint sprayed across their faces –which looked absolutely terrible in Jaemin’s opinion –to indicate where they belonged to. Perhaps years ago, street racing wouldn’t have provided enough income for the gang of teens, until there were larger parties interested thus starting the evolution of the POT system, enabling them to gain money from bets.

From what he could observe, the pot must have been extremely high, considering they allowed the most chaotic and reckless crew out to race. Jaemin was having none of that.

“Xuxi, you messed up my hair” a soft voice laced with apparent indignation. Jaemin whirled around to face two teens probably around his age wearing pure white suits, helmets tucked under their arms. The motorcycle duo. Their height difference was hilarious, but the tall guy –Xuxi? –looked very intimidated by the smaller one who was now raking his fingers through his blonde hair, highlighted with pastel purple streaks. His eyes locked onto Jaemins, and he felt a sudden chill down his spine.

“You’re the Watch Tower?” the boy scoffed, and suddenly his face softened, leaving no trace of the previous aura that had surrounded him before. “I knew he was just a teen drop out! That’ll show gege that this thing is profitable”

Jaemin inclined his head at the boy. “I’m sorry, you have me completely lost. Who are you?”

“Huang Renjun, this is Xuxi. We’re not car racers, but we tag behind the crew when they race” Renjun jerked his head to the significantly crazier dressed LUZT member who were shaking cans of spray paint to spray on their jackets. “Not gonna lie. I could definitely outrun any of them lunatics, but it isn’t time yet”

His voice had lowered and a mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes. He was probably more trouble than he could comprehend. Another one he had to keep an eye on. It didn’t take much time for the other racers to pull up and call each other out in good sportsmanship.

Jaemin didn’t bother to look out his darkened windows, even when people knocked on them and called him out to have a nice chit chat. He didn’t have time to create attachments. He had Donghyuck, and that kid Chenle who was in charge of monitoring the police routes from his father’s computer. It was him and his parents who knew of his activities, and had given up on keeping him safe.

“He receives more than what we could possibly make together” his father had smiled, his hands calloused from working at a small repair shop. “He’s old enough, and he has a kind heart”

Other than his family's own poverty, there was Donghyuck who had lost his whole family except his younger brother Jisung during the Android Incident. No one knew how they had survived, or how they managed to get out of that building when it had exploded, only that the police had found them at home shaken up and treating each other’s bruises. Jaemin knew they were desperate, both of them. That’s why they did everything they could to win.

_ The clusters of people back there are trying to get handicap advantages.  _ Donghyuck stated through his earpiece, his tone laced with hatred. Nothing pissed him off more than terrible sportsmanship.  _ Anyway, keep alert. Hit the curves and show off if you want, but we need that cash. _

“Right you are”

He heard people revving their engines, and smoke blurred his surroundings. The radio crackled and a voice spoke cut through. Jaemin rolled back his shoulders, eyes on the road. It was just a 3 hour ride at most. People often lost stamina along the way, but he was high on caffeine and currently invincible to sleep.

“Let’s go baby”

-

His window was down, the wind carelessly blowing his hair back. The road was clear, save for some speedy race cars who, like him, were taking it easy as they came near to the end of the final hour. Most of the others were left behind, and Jaemin could see the usual speeders in his range.

_ You’re nearing the safe line. Gear up, we’re moving _

Jaemin smiled to himself before leaning forward in his seat, ready to race the last few miles. Apparently the racers around him had gotten their own cues, and he heard the sound of someones’ engine revving and a car shot past him.

“Game on!”

He floored the gas pedal, hearing his wheels squeak at the pressure before it was pushed back from the sheer force of inertia. Somewhere behind him, someone shrieked like a monkey and the game was on. That’s why he loved safe zones, where there were no speed detectors and no police in their midst.

_ We have five up front, three up back. A load of cops came and intercepted the normal track half an hour ago, so the other made a U turn  _ Donghyuck laughed.

“Could’ve told me that earlier?” Jaemin suggested which was replied with another fit of laughter. That lunatic.

The heavy EDM music pulsed through his veins, making his heart race in adrenaline. He could almost imagine the hidden camera going off somewhere, a livestream of the race on the phones of the many people waiting at the finish line. A car passed by him, its engine roaring in challenge and Jaemin followed it in hot pursuit.

_ Sharp curve, FLOOR IT _

Jaemin didn’t need to be told twice. He aggressively turned the steering wheel, a maniacal smile on his face as he relished in the sound of his tires screeching against the road before he pressed the gas. The road was straight, and he was on fire.

_ I sense a clown _

“BISH!” Jaemin cursed, feeling his heartbeat thump in his ears in shock as the car took off by him, holding up a hand in a subtle apology. “Trying to switch lanes at fudging 180!”

_ I told ya. Anyway, he’s probably not gonna last long until one of them crews start to push him from all corners. They get that way and you can use that to speed up _

“Yeah, and make them try and surround me too?”

_ You’re too fast for them, Nana _

“…right”

The road in front of him was mostly clear and safe –if you don’t count one lady cursing them out as they passed by –and he indeed, saw the car that had almost crashed into him being surrounded by three other cars. Quickly, he switched lanes and sped up, once again feeling the thrill of acceleration. The radio crackled but he couldn’t seem to hear in over the adrenaline.

Then, he saw it.

“Hyuck, they’re making a U turn up front. I think there’s cops”

_ Yeah, keep on going. _

“Huh?”

_ Turn a right and keep full speed. It’s between the jurisdiction line between two police officers. It’ll buy you about 15 seconds to get to the end, while they request permission. Grab the pot money and get out of there. _

Jaemin scoffed, pulling a tight turn into a different road that was bumpier and was surrounded by buildings overgrown with weeds. He pressed down on the gas focusing on the unfamiliar surroundings as he sped past. Trust Donghyck had planned this all along. Welp, time to bring the cops.

_ Reached the open road? _

“Almost… yeah I’m out. The cops know?”

_ Yeah, and they’re reaching out now. Keep back, I’m gonna give you a boost. _

He felt the familiar vibration of his car as whatever device Donghyuck had installed whirred to life, followed by a sudden bump that almost made him hit his head on the roof. He made another curve to a straight road, and the speed sign shot past him. He was the only racer, the others U turned probs into a different track.

_ LET’S GO! _

The wheel felt significantly lighter and when he raised his foot from the pedal only to push down again, he felt an even heavier force. He sped up like crazy speed, his arms trembling from the strain of keeping the wheel in place. His car revved as they curved around apartments, malls and banks. He sped through a fly over, whooping from excitement.

_ Almost there, luv. Give them a smile for me! _

The early morning light had started stretching across the sky, signaling dawn. He saw the many people waving their neon sticks, the cheering getting louder and Jaemin let a smile spread on his face. His engine roared as he passed the ending line, and he pumped a fist out of his window in victory.

_ Twenty seconds. Get yourself out of there! _

He didn’t have to wait that long. A sack of cash was thrown into his car the moment he let his window down, the crowd screaming his name and asking for a drift encore.

“GET OUT” he screamed over the noise once he saw Chenle’s familiar face pop out. “Cops are coming!”

He didn’t give the younger boy a chance to ask, quickly pressing the gas and honking loud enough to get the spectators out of the way. Once he was safe and away from the car meet, Donghyuck’s voice spoke from his earpiece again.

_ You think the big ones will start the flames? _

‘Start the Flames’ was a slang where anyone, actually, started to show rebellion towards local authorities, including surrounding the police car and spitting out water onto their windows, starting a firework by sticking it on the roof, anything really. It was usually the neon freaks who would do it, the other members of the car meet hyping them up.

Jaemin didn’t want to risk getting a face full of pepper spray.

“Probably will. They always ruin our image. Anyway, want me to get back in the garage or no?”

_ Had an emergency. Jisung. _

“Ah…well, say hello to him for me, okay?”

_ Good Night, Nana! _

“Night Hyuck”

His phone pinged and the notification for BlueEyedDemon appeared on his screen. He’d become faster lately. Jaemin turned a corner into a smaller road before stopping the car. Priorities.

Upon closer inspection, Jaemin realized that BlueEyedDemon was actually live. He stumbled to press the notif, instantly opening to the live which showed the people throwing empty spray cans and scrunched up water bottles on a police car. The people were either cheering or screaming, he couldn’t tell.

“It’s crazy, man” a voice behind the camera said as it followed the moves of one of the men who had kicked the car. “Sick”

Many were holding up phones, recording the whole thing and Jaemin saw a familiar face among the crowd, a fanbase for one of the racers named Jungwoo. Jaemin double checked his instagram, and it indeed he Jungwoo was also doing a livestream. A thought popped into his head.

From where Jungwoo was, the angle would allow BlueEyedDemon to be seen in his camera. Jaemin didn’t think twice when he finally clicked, tapping his foot impatiently against the floor. The video blurred for a moment before turning clearer, and Jaemin searched for him.

“They’re going absolute nuts!” Jungwoo was saying, before he burst into laughter. “You think they’ll sue us…huh?...oh, what do you mean?...oh hi, Mark!”

Someone was waving at the camera, and Jaemin squinted. The person had a camera slung over his neck, and he was holding up a phone. Jaemin double checked BlueEyedDemon’s live, and sure enough, the person was at the exact spot the camera was angled at.

“Man…we’re gonna be in trouble” Mark laughed behind the camera, the video lagging slightly before focusing once again at the scene. “Look, Jungwoo’s waving at me! You probably don’t know but the big fanbases are close friends and he’s a close bro of mine. Oh look, fireworks yo!”

Jaemin switched back to Jungwoo’s live and peered at Mark. Messy black hair as if he’d been ruffling one too many times, a dorky grin on his face and all sharp angles. He looked captivating while being illuminated by the neon lights. Jaemin sighed, turning off the live and deciding to head home. He had a family to take care of.

-

Jaemin had changed into normal wear, literally drowning in an oversized shirt when his mother knocked on the door, eyes shadowed by black circles and stress lines staring at him as he cuddled his Ryan doll.

“I think there’s someone at the door. If he’s a fan, I can tell him to go away”

Jaemin sat upwards, his forehead creasing in worry. There was no way someone actually followed him home. He didn’t want any stalkers, and his family wouldn’t have enough money to move homes if he ever got into trouble. Jaemin slipped out of his covers, jogging over to the door. He saw the silhouette of a person outside.

“Who is it?” he asked while opening the door. Pause.

“Sorry, didn’t think you’d get freaked out that much” Mark smiled, nodding at his mother who smiled sweetly. In his hand was a basket of fruits which he shyly handed over to Jaemin. Jamein took it, still shocked at the appearance of his biggest fanbase owner right at his door. “I purposely exposed myself this morning so you wouldn’t be too shocked. I thought it would be nice if I took your son for lunch!”

Now, Jaemin would have understood if this was a casual invitation, but Mark was wearing a button up white T-shirt, slack pants and a pair of dark shades hung from his collar. Disheveled look aside, Mark was a  _ man _ .

Mrs Na blinked before hastily taking the fruit basket and pushing Jaemin outside. “Go on, then. You can have him”

Jaemin whipped his head back to stare at his mother incredulously. “Mom!”

“He’s offering lunch. That means you get to eat a proper feast~ C’mon Nana, it’s just a date”

“A date?” Both he and Mark said simultaneously which was replied by another shove from Mrs Na before the door was closed. Jaemin stood frozen at the steps for a moment, staring Mark down. The latter, however, seemed embarrassed with himself and a lopsided grin appeared on his face, a hand raised to scratch awkwardly at his nape.

“How did you find me?” was the first thing he asked. “I made sure no one followed me home, and there’s little to no way you would coincidentally pass by this part of the city. Now tell me, Mark, how did you know my home was here?”

Mark raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms and placing his weight on his left leg. “I work for the surveillance team sometimes. How else would I figure out how to snap your pictures in the best angle?”

Jaemin winced, eyeing a CCTV placed by the bus stop. Now that kind of made a lot of sense. It would explain how most of their car meets weren’t found out until they actually held it.

“Okay, Mark. You said you wanna bring me on a date? Just so you know, I’m too broke to pay-“

“We’re going to Vintage Soul”

“WHAT?!!” Jaemin spluttered, choking on his words. There was no way Mark was actually going to bring him to that buffet place which cost as much as he ate for a week. At least everyone he knew had been there once in their lives, and sadly Jaemin couldn’t relate.

“Yeah…they let you take away anything you can fit into a tupperware, so we can bring some food home to your parents” Mark explained and started walking casually, looking back at Jaemin in a gesture to follow. Jaemin didn’t think he actually had a choice. “I didn’t expect you to live here, actually.”

“No one would. I can make anything look expensive” Jaemin replied following Mark’s movements until he realized they were headed for a motorcycle. A big one.

Mark, apparently realizing how flustered Jaemin was, smiled again and lifted a leg over the vehicle, starting the engine. He shot the stunned male an inviting look before pulling on his helmet. “As much as I love to see you race, I don’t think you have a motorcycle license.”

Minutes later Jaemin was speeding through the city, the neon light stretching out in a blur around him while his arms were wrapped around Marks’ waist. It was slimmer than he thought, but even though the speed made his arms pull tighter around the latter’s stomach, he felt nothing soft underneath the shirt. Jaemin buried his face in Marks’ back when  _ thoughts  _ started to hit him.

_ Nope. Nope. NOPE. _

Yeah he was utterly screwed. He recognized the street they were on, surrounded by shopping complexes and apartments built 15 floors up. The billboards weren’t that striking in the afternoon and Jaemin saw a new ad promoting facial products fade and a different one appear. The city was always bright, strikingly that is. Mark curved into a motorcycle park, turning off the engine.

“Let’s go book a seat. The couple tables are usually empty during the weekends.”

Jaemins’ heart leaped at the mention of a couple tables, and he clung onto Mark’s hand as he led them into the shopping mall, weaving through the people until they arrived at the place. It was located near the bridge that connected two shopping malls, right at the edge to give anyone sitting near the window a clear view of the city.

“Here together?” the woman at the front who was holding the menu asked, her dress draping to the floor. “Normal or special?”

“Anywhere that’s private” Mark replied, smiling sweetly and the woman nodded in agreement, guiding them to a place which was darker, but was lit up by dangling light emitting soft glows. A grill was located in the middle of the table with a spot to boil soup at the center. The sections were farther away from each other, and Jaemin couldn’t help but feel calm when they finally sat down opposite each other.

“You can take anything on the table, as much as you want. It’ll cost the same anyway” Mark explained and Jaemin didn’t need to be told twice. His parents had mentioned that his taste was rather abnormal compared to the others. There was a whole table of meat marinated and seasoned differently, which he immediately was drawn to.

He took a plateful of coffee beef –whatever that was –and normal beef with pepper. His mother had talked about how easy it was to grill beef because you could eat medium rare with no problem unlike white meat. Another plate had spaghetti carbonara with additional cheese, cooked in front of him.

Strangely enough, Mark didn’t even judge his choice of food and he left the moment Jaemin appeared, probably to get his own meal. He quickly adjusted the head, relishing in the sizzling of meat on the grill and letting the scent of coffee surround him. He was able to prepare a generous amount which he separated on a different plate when Mark appeared with a bowl of pumpkin crab soup and a plate of steak and mash potatoes drizzled in cream cheese and pepper.

“You come here often?” Jaemin asked as they both moved to eat. He saw Mark pause as the food was just at his mouth, whispering something under his breath, before eating it. Jaemin smiled at him, helping himself to the meat and feeling the taste explode in his mouth. Coffee and meat were the ebst combination ever.

“I have a black card, if that’s what you’re wondering. My company shares one for emergencies” Mark replied, raising his eyebrows when Jaemin choked on his food. “Sorry, it must sound arrogant to you-“

“No…nope never” Jaemin quickly replied, his eyes tearing up from the burn in his throat. He took some time to catch his breath before continuing with his words. “I mean… you go to car meets and stuff. People usually stigmatize those meets as problematic, when it’s just us having fun with our hobby. If you were arrogant, you’d never have come”

“I’m just a normal car enthusiast” Mark broke off, looking thoughtful. “Well, also a photographer. You have no idea how much thought I had to put in when installing those cameras. You know, trying to think like you do”

Jaemin did remember Donghyuck talking about how smart the BlueEyedDemon was to be able to predict the most strategically best road they would take. It seemed as if Mark and Donghyuck had a similar way of thinking. “You were smart with that insta live thing. I would never have guessed it was intentional”

It was Marks’ turn to smile. “Well, I did have Jungwoo to help. Wouldn’t want you to freak out when I appear on your doorstep.” There was a short pause before Mark put down his utensils, his hands gripping the edge of the table. Upon seeing the tension, Jaemin placed his own down.

“You asked me out because you wanted to talk about something,” he said slowly, watching Marks’ reaction. “It’s fine, just tell me”

“You Dad works at that repair shop downtown, doesn’t he?”

Jaemin tensed at the mention of his Dad’s job but nodded nevertheless.

“I have someone I know over there. He said your Dad’s been keeping the shop alive for years because he used to work in one of the major RnD companies. I just wondered if he used to work for XCESS.”

Jaemin fell silent. Everyone knew what company XCESS was. They used to be the biggest AI company that released new technology into the world, the Korean branch that was a part of the many other branches that were scattered all over the world. Apparently someone in the company had been doing illegal stuff.

The person was associated with SERUM, an illegal organization that stole new technology and broke into private Cyberspace to reach their target –making androids real. They had been around for about a decade, and were usually the ones behind the robberies and break-in’s at random engineering companies. They always appeared on the news, but disappeared as fast as they appeared. Donghyuck used to rant about how their world would progress faster if SERUM was accepted, and Jaemin had started to wonder the same thing.

“No…he was in a company connected and funded by XCESS. My Dad never finished college, but he took part in a gifted program which later gathered the people under one company to help out. They didn’t get as much salary, but it was enough for us.” Jaemin bit his bottom nervously. “But the Android Incident happened, and then the XCESS building was blown apart. My Dad’s company went broke and he was left jobless.”

Jaemin didn’t know why he was spilling his life story in front of Mark. Perhaps it was because he had been keeping it within himself for a long time. He didn’t have friends outside of Donghyuck, and he was sure Donghyuck had it way worse than he ever did. Besides, Mark sat in comfortable silence, an aura of understanding radiating off of him.

“You didn’t lose anyone in the incident?”

“Thankfully, no,” Jaemin stated. “My friend lost his family except his little brother. Apparently, they made it out and even managed to get back home. He had always been the stubborn kind. Stubborn enough to not die. When I asked him why he didn’t go to the hospital, he said that he couldn’t pay and wouldn’t go even if he had the money. Ambulance fees are terribly high these days.”

“I get it.” Mark smiled, and reached to grill more beef. “I was wondering because the police have been bombarding the surveillance team for any records of the current robberies. If your dad was in XCESS, he’d probably be questioned about the guy who exploded the place.”

Tension hung in the air. There actually was a moment in time when the guys were literally EVERYWHERE. The media talked about him, he was in conversations everywhere and there were even people on the street trying to prove his innocence. Why? Because despite the proof that he had caused the explosion, Doyoung was one of the kindest of souls in town in which he was always seen doing good deeds from helping out in charity to donating his stuff to orphanages. No one could even comprehend that he was a part of SERUM.

Or maybe…they didn’t realize that the only thing that made SERUM bad was the law.

“Anyway, I’m going to buy some containers to pack up the food for your parents.”

“Mum hates pepper. Dad doesn’t eat the soft parts of chicken” Jaemin immediately said when Mark stood up. A playful smile appeared on his face and he gave a small salute. The annoying butterflies in his stomach seemed keen on making their presence known.

-

“I’m sorry _ , what _ ?”

Donghyuck sighed on the other side of the line. “The fudging button behind the steering wheel, Nana”

“There are  _ a dozen  _ buttons Hyuck” Jaemin screamed into his phone. “All of them are black and none of them even have a bump to indicate what they mean.”

“Then just press all of them if it’s that hard!”

“Yeah, and risk burning up my engine?  _ Hyuck, I ain’t the genius automobile expert here _ ” the last part came from between gritted teeth. His friend still sounded half asleep, and maybe that was mostly Jaemins fault. It was him who wanted to go on a drive in the ungodly hours in the morning, but he needed to avoid attracting any attention, that included the neon paint job on his car.

“Okay, so the first bottom left one is coordinate zero zero, okay?”

“Yeah”

“Left to right is the first number, bottom to up is the second number”

“Mmmm…”

“Coordinate two four”

Jaemin traced the buttons, muttering under his breath until he found the button that –apparently –would turn off the underbody lights and turn off the glow. He whispered a prayer under his breath before pressing the button, eyes on the front of the car. The vicious hare painted in front dimmed until it blended into the blue background, and Jaemin heaved a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, I got it man-“

He heard the faint rumble of snoring coming from the other side and smiled fondly, whispering a quick  _ night, night Hyuck  _ before hanging up. He started the engine, leaning his head back against the headrest. The talk with Mark had been lingering for some time, and he had been overthinking too much. There had been even more robberies happening over the span of three days, and Jaemin kept feeling insecure every time he stepped foot out of the house.

As if there were people constantly trailing him wherever he went.

Donghyuck had become homebound because Jisung was apparently going through abrupt flashbacks since the anniversary of their parent’s death was coming around. Jaemin didn’t have the heart to ask him for company.

The drive was clear as it always was when the sun was about to come up on weekdays. Jaemin relished in the peace of driving on the highway with barely any vehicles on the road. He didn’t speed, keeping it in the zone.

_ The van carrying equipment made for a hovercraft experiment was broken into last night as a contraption yet again embedded in the road had flipped the vehicle over- _

The sound of a revving vehicle made him turn off the radio abruptly, and a person with a familiar face riding a familiar motorcycle smiled at him, waving a gloved hand. He flashed his lights six times, an invitation to race. Jaemin grinned and revved his car, flashing his lights. They stopped at a traffic light, and Mark sent him a salute. They both watched the red light with frightening intensity, waiting for the cue to set them off.

_ Red _

_ Red _

_ Yellow _

_ GREEN _

He floored the gas pedal, shooting forward at remarkable speed. Sure, motorcycles were physically faster, but Mark was no racer. Jaemin let out a whoop as energy filled his veins, the sunrise passing by him and illuminating his face with an orange glow. Alive, he felt alive.

He saw Mark through his mirror, and shot him a grin before taking a sharp curve into a smaller road under a fly over, and took advantage of his size to block the road before Mark could take advantage of his decreasing speed, forcing him to make an abrupt break.

Once Mark was too stunned at the fact that they almost crashed, Jaemin took off once again, throwing a fist outside his window in mock pity. He saw Mark speeding up once more and eyed the buildings that were coming into sight. If he was Donghyuck, he'd probably curve behind the building where only cars were allowed to access the cars only road and avoid any traffic lights that would end the race, all while making sure Mark was forced to use a longer road.

But this wasn’t a competition and Jaemin grinned through the mirror, braking once they reached a traffic light. Mark raised the helmet slide, looking at him with something akin to astonishment. Maybe he had expected him to take the shortcut.

“You wanna hang out after this?” Mark called out in, eyes flickering to the traffic lights every now and then. “I’m kinda free”

“Yeah, the park?”

“Wanna race there?”

“Nah, let me enjoy the morning breeze”

-

The rest of the day passed by swiftly. There hadn’t been another race in days as no one came close to the amount his POT was worth. Mark appeared in his life more times than he could remember, slowly creeping his way into a new sense of normality.

Jaemin still hung out with Donghyuck, and his friend patiently lent him an ear when he ranted about how nice Mark was, how he seemed to give him a new sense of happiness and elation he couldn’t exactly describe. Although Donghyuck was busy most of the time –as his chores and work didn’t exactly let up –he made sure they still met up at least three times a week.

His Dad had been offered a new job at CyberTech which provided a higher salary, and Jaemin could see his mother smiling. He wondered if that was Mark’s doing, or if his appearance was a blessing that brought luck to his life. However it went, Jaemin was forever grateful because now there would be endless chatter at the dinner table as his father could now invest his time in something he loved doing.

The past few days had been perfect and surreal, a new beginning to his life.

So why was he now held in an interrogation room with an officer in front of him, his hands in handcuffs and tear stains on his cheeks? Why did he hear the echoes of his parents pleading for his innocence ringing in his ears when it had happened not more than an hour ago?

“I will repeat, what else do you do aside from street racing?” The man who had called himself Taeyong questioned, sliding a photo of him in his car, not speeding at all. “You have no other job, yes? Or is that a no?”

Jaemin wiped the tears from his eyes which was rather hard since his hands were bound together. “I don’t know, I swear to God! I don’t do anything aside from street racing, and I earn enough money to last my parents a month every time I enter.”

“Would you like to see proof of your guilt?”

He had been dragged for interrogation because he was suspected to be a part of SERUM. From his surroundings, he knew that these people weren’t normal cops. They didn’t wear the normal outfits, instead wearing black clothing from head to toe. Jaemin would have mocked them as emo people if he wasn’t so terrified.

Taeyong slid what seemed to be a map of the city. There was a blur line through the streets and some red crosses here and there.

“Every time you raced, you would pass by a specific road. Only you would take it, as I believe going off the usual course is a specialty of yours” he tapped the red crosses. “Within the month of your race, there would always be contraptions buried in the road where you pass through”

Jaemin slammed his hands against the table. “You don’t know crap about me! It could’ve been anyone, and I passed through at 180. There’s no way I could’ve done it that fast”

Taeyong tutted at his antics, leaning back against his seat. “We do surveillance every day and switch around the cameras most of the time. The only time they aren’t working is when you street racers race and someone hacks into them. If anyone ever set up the trap, it would be during that time. As for speed, it’s possible for SERUM to develop such kinds of technology.”

“It could’ve been anyone…” Jaemin sobbed, looking down at the map that bore evidence, yet he was so sure that he had not done ANYTHING. “It wasn’t me, I swear”

“We had our own inside people watching the livestream that’s projected during the night of the car meets. Indeed, only your car has passed through all of these spots during the time. I heard you are not a part of any crew which is highly suspicious.”

Jaemin shook his head viciously, still staring hard at the map. No…it wasn’t him. There was no way he could have ever installed any contraption into the road during the races. He didn’t even know such a thing was genuinely possible!

“Admit it, Na Jaemin-“

“I…I swear to God I know nothing-“

“Tell us everything you know about SERUM-“

“STOP I DON’T KNOW-!”

The door slammed open with a bang.

Mark stood at the doorway, black hair a mess and a pair of glasses crooked on his nose. He was flushed from sprinting full speed to the interrogation room upon hearing Jaemin had been called in. His eyes met Jaemins, oozing with guilt before he turned to Taeyong.

“I told you I was sure he’s innocent!” He said almost accusingly, and Jaemin realized that the two were probably acquainted. Hang on… Taeyong had mentioned that there were people on the inside. Mark had claimed he was a part of a surveillance team. Jaemin held in the urge to bang his head against the table as punishment for his naivety.

“Mark, I TOLD you all the leads point to him!”

“It’s not him!” Mark stated with a tone of finality. “I’m a hundred percent sure it’s not. But I think whoever is behind SERUM, the person does have a connection to Jaemin. Give us time, and we’ll find out the culprit.”

Taeyong turned towards Jaemin who was now staring at Mark with exasperation. “You told this dude you’re a part of the NeoCyber Agency?”

Mark winced. “No.”

“Then go sort it out. You better figure it out sooner or later, or else you’ll end up on the death row alongside him.”

-

“A FUDGING AGENT?!! A CYBER AGENT?!!”

“Jaemin, calm down. I couldn’t tell you because I had sworn secrecy-“

“YOU FUDGIN USED ME MARK-“

“Guys SHUT IT!” Chenle screamed, slamming his palm against his desk which made his laptop titter dangerously close to the edge. “If you wanted to sort out your sexual tension, you could’ve done it before calling me!”

“SEXUAL WHAT?” Jaemin spluttered at the same time Mark yelled “SHUT UP LELE”

Chenle looked at both of them pointedly, his laptop illuminating his pale face. Jaemin glared at Mark for a moment, taking in how the older boy was at a loss for words. Something in him felt pity. He probably wasn’t making it easy.

“You know what…spill.” Jaemin stated, flopping onto a bean bag, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. “Tell me everything Mark. Enlighten us.”

Mark sighed, pacing in front of them while biting his nails nervously. After a few seconds, he sighed before dropping his hand. “NeoCyber was created to catch SERUM. It’s a secret agency…so of course you’ve never heard of it-“

Chenle scoffed. “Is this like a secret agent au trope from some sort of kinky fanfiction or what?”

Mark shot him a glare. “We couldn’t get proper grasp of their plans because they always carried out their activities when the cameras were off, and that’s when racers were on the track.”

“And I guess I’m the only one who passed by all the tracks which makes me the prime suspect” Jaemin said, raking his hand through his hair. “So okay, fine. I didn’t do it so what’s the verdict?”

“That’s what we’re trying to brainstorm here” Mark replied heatedly. “I know you’re kinda the lone wolf in the racing, so do you have ANY acquaintances that could have known which tracks you use?”

“YOU LITERALLY CALLED ME A LONE WOLF-“ Jaemin broke off, his brows scrunching in thought. Indeed, there was someone that fit the criteria, who not only assisted him but literally cave the calls whenever he went off the normal tracks. Someone who was the mastermind of his escapes.

“My friend who lost his family in the android incident” Jaemin said, his voice faltering. His eyes looked at Mark hauntingly. “He’s the one who determines my course whenever I race”

“I need a name” Chenle called, whirling in his seat to face his computer. “Full one and siblings if he has any”

“Lee Donghyuck” came to reply and Jaemin walked up behind Chenle as the boy hacked into the police security and identification. “He has a brother named Lee Jisung.”

“Give me a minute”

Mark tapped Jaemins shoulder, prompting the young racer to look at him. “What does he do for you, exactly?”

Jaemin shrugged. “Give me racer info. Guide me through the course. Update me during races….repair my car-“

He halted in his words and the two shared a knowing glance. Chenle looked back at them with a nod of confirmation. “Check out his car”

-

“This thing is phenomenal” Mark whispered once they entered the garage. He brushed his fingers against the shiny paint, watching the paint glow under the dark. “Not even a scratch on the surface, and this is raced every month?”

Jaemin chuckled to himself. “Aren’t you a car enthusiast?”

“Well, every agent who’s an inside agent is secretly a car enthusiast, but don’t let Taeyong know that” Mark supplied before opening the door, inspecting the inside of the car. He looked behind the wheel, whistling appreciatively at the interior design. “Most of the fanbases are agents, like Jungwoo-“

“JUNGWOO?!!”

“-and Johnny and even there’s racer agents like Renjun as well. Kinda dope, and our job is way more fun. Besides, selling merchandise gives us that extra money”

“Sneaky” Jaemin grinned, tapping the bunker before peering inside. “Can’t find anything suspicious. I mean, Donghyuck doesn’t always check the interior. He worries more about the mechanics-“

Mark slid under the car and all Jaemin could do was watch his lower body wiggle. He weighed the odds of doing something funny and ridiculous, and decided it wasn’t worth it. Mark gave a muffled splutter before the car vibrated the way it always did when Donghyuck activated his power ups. Mark slid out again, a contraption in his hand.

“Never seen anything like it” he muttered, sitting up and examining it. “The material used is extremely durable…and the mechanics-“

He pressed something and suddenly what seemed to be a thick metal pole connected to a claw shot out strong enough to make the contraption fly out of Marks’ hands. It barely missed Marks’ face and they both stared at it in bewilderment.

“Strong enough to break through the road,” Mark concluded.

“Fast enough to match the speed of a car,” Jaemin added.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and Jaemin took it out, turning on the speaker for Mark to hear.

_ Okay, guys. I got a picture. This dude with darker skin and beauty marks? _

“Yeah, pretty much”

_ Mmmkay…I checked through his records and he’s pretty clear. Nope, no criminal records at all …so I decided to check his education and found out he was a part of a gifted program under XCESS for elementary school children. Had quite the record, but yeah, still clear. I couldn’t find any reason for him to be a part of SERUM. _

They exchanged worried glances. “Anything else?’

_ Actually, yes. I looked up his brother and all…and do you know what I found? _

“Wassup?’

_ A certificate of death. He’s dead and has been even before the Android Incident. Tried to find his cemetery and all but I couldn’t match his name and face anywhere. He was never buried. _

Jaemin felt his heart race. “Chenle, I swear to God I literally see him every other week. He’s very much alive”

_ Well, he’s not. I’m currently hacking into the surveillance, trying to see when he’s ever been outside and running a body temperature program over the vid. Yeah, this might sound creepy but he has no body heat. _

“I’m sorry WHAT”

_ “The Jisung kid has no body heat. Literally cold twenty four seven. Okay, this stuff is high key scaring me, but I think I know where he is. You guys on the same page as me? _

Unless they were hardcore believers of zombies and the walking dead, the truth would be very apparent to them. If SERUM was technologically advanced, there was a big possibility that they were able to create androids. If it was true…then there was no doubt why Donghyuck had become a part of SERUM.

_ Yeah, I’m tracking his coding and I have your location. Took a risk and they know I’m in their system. Their security is impossible to break through without outing myself. _

“Okay Chenle, give us the location” Jaemin said, moving to the car door, giving Mark an inviting look. “I’m going to take you on a ride”

-

“Neo Cyber has been contacted” Mark reported once they arrived at the building. It was hidden in plain view, another small company that he couldn’t recognize among many. Perfect place that people would overlook “They know we’re here, though”

“Then we act like guests” Jaemin stated, pulling the handle to open the door. “If Donghyuck is really in there, I don’t think they’re gonna kill us”

The walk to the front door was nerve wracking, their instinct put on high alert. When they passed through the glass doors, they were met with a receptionist calmly typing on her computer. At their appearance, she smiled warmly and pressed something that made a buzzer go off.

“Hang on,” she said in a pleasant tone. “I think he’s nervous.”

They didn’t have to wait long to find out who the person was because a pair of eyes shadowed by fluffy hair peeked out from the door gap located at the other side. Jaemin stood frozen, confused as Jisung slowly made his way out, oozing nervous aura.

“Hi hyung” he stuttered timidly and Jaemin broke out of his paralysis, instead taking the younger boy in his arms and hugging him close. He still smelled of detergent and his chest still rose and fell like normal. Mark walked up to them, clearly bewildered.

“Oh, Sungie, this is Mark”

Jisung looked over at the other male, tall and towering. For a moment, Jaemin felt Jisungs breath hitch but was quickly stabilized as the younger boy smiled shyly. “I’ve heard about you. Didn’t expect to meet you so soon”

Apparently, Mark had just realized that ‘Sungie’ was Lee Jisung and he didn’t hesitate to take his hand and shake it, perhaps to confirm if the boy was an android the way Jaemin did. Obvious bafflement passed through his eyes because Jisung felt very human. Jaemin wondered if they all had been wrong about the boy.

“He wants to meet you,” Jisung stated, not waiting for a response as he tugged them both through the door. Jaemin opened his mouth to reply but his words were stuck when he finally passed through.

Surrounding them were people who looked no older than twenty, every single one of them wearing normal wear save for the white gloves and face masks. There weren’t many, and they all seemed to be doing their own projects in their own space shaped like a cube.

Jaemin eyed a boy who was testing what seemed to be a prototype hovercraft that hovered over his open palm, his eyes shining with pride. There were many more otherworldly inventions that the people were working on such as a fairy doll that seemed to move and speak like a real fairy and gloves that let out flames and gusts of wind.

“This is where the gifted teens use their creativity to invent new things” Jisung said as they moved down the aisle. “Donghyuck hyung works here sometimes, but he’s elite enough to do the more complicated work”

“Complicated work?” Mark repeated incredulously, not even being able to phantom what could top teens their age inventing things from scratch. Jisung shrugged in response as they reached the end of the room.

“Hyung, I brought them.”

At the end of the aisle was a boy that looked very mature, but his eyes shone with youth. He looked up from examining the work of a woman, a bright smile on his face. When he realized who he was facing, though, his eyes lost its glint.

“Very intelligent, your little hacker” he complimented before nodding his head to Jisung. “We haven’t met, but I guess you’ve heard of SERUM”

Jaemin didn’t open his mouth, too fearful to say a word. Mark was rigid beside him, tension in every nerve in his body. The door behind Jeno opened and a familiar face stepped out, his hair messy and his face stained with oil.

“Jeno, I think the chip was installed in the wrong-“ Donghyuck broke off as he made eye contact with his friend. Jaemin saw guilt, relief and sadness flash in his eyes within a second before it was broken by Jisung detaching from them and immediately running into Donghyuck’s open arms with a cry of  _ Hyuckie Hyung! _

Jeno glanced back at the two siblings and his smile regained life once more. “I’m Lee Jeno, currently the leader of SERUM”

-

“Doyoung was your brother?”

“Uh huh” Jeno confirmed as they passed through another room which was way more noisy as machines with claws and screws worked around a table, as if creating something new. “He kinda blew up something radioactive, and that’s why there were no survivors”

Jeno jerked his head towards one of the machines. “Here in SERUM, we are pretty futuristic, using the creativity of youth to invent new things using the materials provided. That’s why the cops couldn’t find us…we’re basically all under thirty years old with no college degree or anything.”

“Then why did you have to steal from the government trucks which provided the material?” Mark pushed which was replied with a confused expression.

“Yeah, and say what? An organization with gathered prodigies intends to use the materials for RnD instead of repetitive copies of old contraptions. The government is intent on not letting technology blossom for the sake of mankind. Here in SERUM, we think otherwise.

Which is why I had Donghyuck strategize the raids using our inventions, which turned out perfectly. As you can see…we are very futuristic compared to the outside world. We have achieved many more, and we shall wait until the government accepts us before we release them to the world.”

Jaemin looked over at Donghyuck who was showing Jisung around his workplace, where he seemed to be using a holographic image of a human. Jeno followed his line of sight, nodding to the two siblings.

“If you’re wondering, yes, Jisung is what you guys call an Android. We call him a Humanoid. He still had his organs and stuff, but different fluid was running through his veins. Yes, some of them are mechanically built, but he’s not some walking robot.”

Jeno paused as at the end of the room, turning to look at them both. “Now, may I know why you’re here?”

Jaemin saw doubt shroud Marks’ features. Now that he saw it that way, there wasn’t actually anything wrong with SERUM. It was the government and the media that had made them think that new technology would be their downfall. Yet, seeing what the future might hold through the handicrafts of youths made it obvious that that was wrong on so many levels.

“We-“ Mark started but was cut off when there was a loud bang, followed by the floor shaking. Everyone fell to their knees, panicked murmurs filling the space as they looked at the door where the sound came from. Jaemin heard the phone in Marks’ pocket buzz and dread filled his veins.

Not now…not now...

The windows shattered open as figures in dark suits dropped from above, the shards falling onto the SERUM members and a chorus of screams made chills run down his spine. He saw Donghyuck pull Jisung into a crouch, shielding him from the glass. The NeoCyber agents dropped around him, raising their guns towards the SERUM members and all Jaemin could do was clutch Mark near him in fear.

“THERE WILL BE NO TOLERANCE TOWARDS THOSE WHO MEDDLE IN ANDROID TECHNOLOGY!” He heard Taeyong yell from somewhere behind him, but he was way too scared to even look behind. “LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE!”

“WAIT-!” Mark screamed but he was cut off by the sound of flying bullets, forcing him to the ground in shock. Mark pulled Jaemin close and they huddled together to witness the massacre of the SERUM people. Jeno closed his eyes as the first round of bullets came and they tore through him with such speed that Jaemin could barely see the blood. He went fast.

All around them, people were running and trying to hide behind the machines to get away from the bullets to no avail. A thought suddenly crossed his mind and Jaemin whipped around to see Donghyuck desperately trying to protect Jisung, pleading for their lives to be spared.

Donghyuck’s name was on the tip of his tongue when he saw the bullets rip through his body, and the fear in his friends’ eyes gloss over with pain. Jaemin could barely feel himself crawl over to the two siblings in despair as Donghyuck fell right into Jisungs’ arms which could no longer support him as bullets were shot straight through Jisungs’ head. The holes bled blue, and Jisung blinked rapidly, as if more confused than in pain.

Perhaps, he couldn’t feel the pain at all when he finally went still.

There was no such mercy for Donghyuck as he spluttered blood out of his mouth, and Jaemin could only flutter his fingers over the many bullet wounds in his friend’ torso and legs. Donghyuck was wheezing under his breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he continued to spit out blood.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry, Hyuck…please don’t leave me-“ he begged and pleaded as he held Donghycuks’ hand, and his friends’ lips seemed to move but made no sound aside from the sound of choking. Jaemin felt something slide into his palm, but didn’t dare to look. He made sure Donghyuck was looking at him, even when his eyes finally glazed over and the spark of mischief in them dulled.

Jaemin felt his life flash before his eyes, the laughter as they played in the garage, the tears that came with finally coming out about their family problems, the cheers when Jaemin had come in first during their race as rookies and every single detail about Donghyuck that had made him, him. There were so many layers in Donghyuck’s personality, and so much potential hidden in him. In all of the SERUM members.

Now, as Jaemin stood up with tears running down his face, he realized their country had lost so many gifted youths who could’ve brought change, who could’ve made the world a better place. In the span of a few seconds, the worlds’ future had dimmed.

“SEERUM terminated…will now dispose of the bodies” he heard someone say before a hand gripped his arm and he jerked it away roughly, face scrunched up in a look of despair.

“They’re gonna explode the place and bring it down. We have to get out of here” Mark explained softly. It took a few seconds for Jaemin to understand before he stumbled back, shaking his head.

“No! At least give them a proper burial. These aren’t criminals Mark!” He bent down to grab Donghyuck’s body but suddenly there were hands trying to wrestle him away. “STOP STOP! HE DOESN’T DESERVE THIS! NONE OF THEM DESERVE THIS!”

He felt a prick against his neck and suddenly his surroundings became blurry. No…he had to stay awake! He had to bury Donghyuck’s body! Donghyuck…Hyuckie…Hyuck…

-

“Honey, do you want anything from the market?”

Jaemin padded down the stairs, his bottom lips bitten until it bled. The events of the previous day still lingered in his head, and there was no running from the guilt that consumed him whole. His mother however, seemed to be trying hard to lighten his mood so he spared a smile.

“Nah, I’m okay”

His fist clenched around the USB in his hand, the USB Donghyuck had passed to him during his final moments. It contained all of the work they had made upon years of research and development. In his fist was the future of the world that might just relive the memory of his old friend once again.

“Mum?” he called, rushing to the front door. Mrs Na turned around, eyebrows raised in question. “Could I…apply to a technical institution?”

There was a moment of confusion and silence before his mother’s eyes brightened. “Y-you want to try it out? Wanna continue studying?”

Jaemin nodded slowly and before he could comprehend it, he felt his mother’s arms around him, wrapping around his torso tightly. It felt so warm, like home and all Jaemin could do was bask in it.

“Honey…I’m so proud of you. Of course, maybe your dad has connections that might bring you to a technical institution”

Apparently, his mother was very overwhelmed by his choice and Jaemin let her hug him for a long time. When he looked up, he saw a familiar pair of dark eyes staring at him. Mark revved his motorcycle invitingly and his mother pulled away, smiling at the sight of Mark.

“You up for a ride?” he asked, but there was a tinge of sadness behind his voice. Jaemin knew Mark felt just as guilty as he did, perhaps even more so. His mother pushed his back towards mark, nodding at him to just go. Jaemin looked down at the USB in his hand before zipping it safely in his jacket pocket.

“Well, Mark. Why ever not?

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA!!!  
> This fic has been waiting in the docs for over a month for the day to be published :] I do hope you're doing well and rock that EE! Thank you for being who you are and I send my best wishes to you for your future! 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I apologize if it's rushed or anything. Do comment below because I love reading them and again. thanks for taking your to read this story of mine :] Hopefully, see you in the next one -shot!
> 
>   
> [twt](https://twitter.com/Skydancer_8?s=09) | [CC](https://curiouscat.me/Skydancer_8)


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